Christmas 2011: A Cousins' Christmas!

Getting ready.

Before the storm

Do we have enough seats?

Buffet at the ready. Bring on the food!

Answer: 30 plates. Question: How many fancy disposable plates (that look like real china) did we buy for Christmas dinner?

Answer: NO! Question: Were 30 plates enough?

It was that kind of Christmas. No worries. My father was prepared with a stash of backup plates from his store room of never ending supplies and groceries. Aunts, uncles, cousins and family-like friends made there way through the buffet line, running out of plate-room before reaching the last chafing dish. Yet, somehow folks made room once they saw that very meaty and tender ribs were in the last dish. And, despite much belly-rubbing and claims of fullness, folks managed to find stomach room to hit the dessert table loaded with red velvet cupcakes, cobblers, cheesecakes, cakes, pies, and cookies. 

What's Christmas without a kids' table?

No one is starving at this table.

"What did I get?" was the question with each gift.

 

You would think all the food intake would keep the noise volume to a low murmur of fork action, chewing, and the clank of lids recovering the many dishes. Instead the food intake seemed to fuel the joke-telling, advice-giving, and trash-talking. The revelry continued with our traditional "Dirty Santa" gift exchange game. The single bar of Oil of Olay soap took the prize for best gift but the box of hand sanitizers was a close second in generating laughs. The occasional calm came when folks took the time to find their photos on the wall of family pictures my mother created amidst the Christmas decorations. I heard a cousin's boyfriend predict that one day he'd be included among the pictures only to gleefully discover that he'd already been included this year. [Is that too much subtle pressure to do what he needs to do to become an official part of the family?]

It's appropriate that a prospective cousin should see his photo among the many family moments on display because this was very much a cousins' holiday. In the week's leading up to Christmas, I was surprised to hear from first cousins trying to make plans to make the trip to Maryland for the holiday. More than one time I questioned why they were making such an effort this year. I didn't see the need to fly from points west or drive from the south for an ordinary Christmas holiday. Fortunately, thanks  to their travels efforts, this Christmas was far from ordinary. It was a very special family gathering made more so by the rekindled bonds among cousins. We even had a cousins' post-Christmas breakfast and began planning our own cousins Las Vegas reunion for next year.

Hanging with my cousins made it all worthwhile.

Yes, I'm whipped from helping my parents host 30+ for Christmas dinner, but I'm energized from the memories and bonds created. Christmas 2011 will always be one to remember. See you in Vegas cousins!